Release date: out now!
Label: Stormspell Records
Achilles Steel formed in Iowa in 1985 and quickly became a force in the Midwest metal underground. Through the early ’80s and beyond, the band tore up stages in clubs, theaters, and festival lots, earning a reputation for no-frills, high-energy performances that left crowds buzzing long after the amps cooled.
Every show was loud, fast, and uncompromising – built to be felt as much as heard. Forged on razor-sharp riffs and a fearless attitude inspired by Metallica, Metal Church, and Dokken, Achilles Steel blended melody and muscle into a sound that was both aggressive and anthemic. Tight musicianship, soaring leads, and driving rhythms made their live sets unpredictable and explosive, with the band feeding off the crowd and pushing every song to the edge.
After years apart, Achilles Steel reunited in 2024 with the same fire and sharper focus. Instead of chasing trends, the band returned to what made them dangerous in the first place. Powerful songs, real performances, and heavy metal played with conviction. Now back in the studio, Achilles Steel has created new music with the intensity of veterans who still have something to prove. The result is Welcome to the War, an 8 track album, delivering back-to-basics assault that channels the true spirit of classic ’80s metal.
Expect biting hooks, crushing rhythms, and solos that burn, all delivered with the raw power of a band that lives for the music. This is heavy metal with teeth – honest, relentless, and built to hit hard like a snakebite into your soul.
Killer oldschool melodic true metal for fans of MEDIEVAL STEEL, X-CALIBER, WARLORD, OMEN, VIRGIN STEELE, SAVATAGE, classic era DOKKEN, etc.
Review
“Welcome to the War” had a sizzling riff dripping in 80s acid, with production that felt well-rounded and kept all of the band listenable. No one felt drowned out by cacophony. Similarly, the vocal style is very reminiscent of early Biff Byford from Saxon or other acts of the time who eschewed the Dickinson/Halford theatrical style. While the track may feel a bit old fashioned and dated, it also feels genuine and like a bunch of mates just having a blast. This was pretty dang solid!
“Achilles Steel” opened with a snippet from the 2004 film Troy, which instantly made me feel 100 years old for some reason. The movies I grew up watching are now being used as ambience in metal songs. I truly adored the riff in this one, incredible stuff that made it impossible not to headbang along with. The vocal style is a sort of mix between Mark the Shark (Manilla Road), as well as a few others. I was weirdly picking up on Load/Reload era Hetfield at first, which I found strange, before feeling more of an Eric Adams (Manowar) vibe. It’s a cheesy song, but damn it, it’s fun as hell. Feel the steel!
“Stand Up (The Fallen) was a traditional mid-tempo affair that fans of the pre-glam and pre-thrash era would appreciate. This is the type of stuff that bands like Trance or Glacier would put out. Littered with some truly incredible basslines and a great vocal performance, and once more Achilles Steel has me hooked. It might play it a bit too safe, but it’s still good stuff.
“Battlefield” once more has a great 80s-styled riff, as well as some of that bass-heavy production that I love as an Iron Maiden fan. The first title drop of the track hits like an absolute freight train, and I found it hard not to sing along with. There’s also a graininess with the vocals that helps to give them that old school style. The flaws in art are what helps make it art. Humans aren’t perfect, and neither are the things we create. This all turns on its head at a mid-song tempo change before the solo kicks in. Little moments like that, to build that anticipation and desire, those are what really make good albums into great albums.
“(Rise) The Unknown Soldier”, the longest track on the album at a shade over 7 minutes, began with a rainy bit of ambience (plus some wolf howls), before some slow and moody guitarwork entered the fray. A very Dickenson-esque vocal performance here, carrying the track to the closest Achilles Steel has come to a power ballad thus far. The lyrics themselves would feel right at home on a Golden Age Maiden track as well. Ooh the way the chorus hits is pure magic, incredible stuff, all-timer potential. This was a great track, with an incredible solo, and great structure. Really sublime stuff.
“Sins of the Father” had some very NWOBHM drumming to start off (specifically Tank), as well some stellar riffing. The vocal graininess returns, and again I find it oddly endearing. Incredible locomotive basslines around the halfway point, harkening back once more to the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. While the weakest track thus far, in my humble opinion, there was still a lot to love about it.
“Children Born of War” began with the sort of cacophonous opening that you hear on Metallica’s “Hit the Lights” and a litany of other tracks over the years. Really found myself enjoying the lyrics in this one, perfect for the music video I create in my head. However, I found the instrumentation to be a touch lacking in some areas, though that could be because I was so focused on the lyrics themselves. A listen away from the reviewer’s mindset might do wonders for me on this one.
“Feel the Steel” was our final offering, and one I found curious as ‘feel the steel’ was the call-out in the band’s eponymous song earlier on in the album. Because of that, I’m going to consider this one a sequel of sorts. Gnarly bass tone on this one, very Satan inspired (Court in the Act has an untouchable bass tone). The vocals in this one also felt a bit more melodic than the rest of the album, just a little something extra to give the track some more spice.
Conclusion
Achilles Steel’s debut full-length represents a fun time capsule to a bygone age of metal music. The production and musicianship are in top-form, but it all feels earnest and not like an odd parody or hollow imitation. Are there missteps? Totally, but, this is the type of stuff that I love to review. Bands who didn’t get their due back in the day, putting out something in a new scene. Especially today, when the metal underground is at the strongest its ever been. The sheer rock n roll it take to comeback from decades away, as an under-the-radar band, is worthy of checking out.
TheNwothm Score: 8/10
Links
Label: https://stormspell.bigcartel.com/products?utf8=%E2%9C%93&search=achilles+steel
